John William Schmitthenner

P. DEAN HOMER FUNERAL HOME 206 WATER STREET PO BOX 1 DUSHORE, PA 18614 TEL 570 928-8163 FAX 570 928-8116 Email pdh@epix.net September 3, 2005 OBITUARY John W. Schmitthenner, 84, died Friday, September 2, 2005, at his home, Bella Sylva, near Dushore. Born September 30, 1920 in New Ringgold, PA, he was the son of Florence (Neiswender) and the Rev. Doctor John W. Schmitthenner, Sr. He grew up in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey as his father served various Lutheran parishes, always returning to the ancestral home of Bella Sylva for vacations. He married Jessie Walton of Pottsville, Pa, on October 28, 1943. A 1942 graduate of Muhlenberg College, John entered the service during World War II, and as a First Lieutenant served as a bombardier and navigator in the U.S. Army Air Force. He flew 35 missions over Europe until his plane was shot down over Austria in 1944, and he spent 11 months in prison camp at Barth on the Baltic (Germany). Upon returning home in 1945, he entered and was graduated from Dickinson Law School and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in 1948. After ten years of private practice in Tamaqua, PA, John joined Nationwide Insurance Corp. and served as Field Claims Attorney (Sayre) and Regional Claims Attorney (Harrisburg), where he led the Legal Section of the Eastern Penna. Claims Group until 1976. In that year he joined Atty. Maurice Epstein in private practice in Towanda, and enjoyed twelve years working in Towanda until his retirement. Since the mid-1980’s he and his wife Jessie have lived at Bella Sylva, wintering sometimes in St. Simon’s Island, GA, and other warmer climes. John was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mildred, the Dushore Lions Club, Eagles Mere Country Club, where he was an avid golfer, and Tamaqua Lodge No. 238 F &AM. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania and Bradford County Bar Associations. In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Susanne Schmitthenner of Dushore and Haddonfield, NJ; Carolyn (Atty. David) England of Yorktown, VA; and son, John W. (Brenda) Schmitthenner, III, of Poway, CA. He is survived by five grandchildren – Atty. Christian and Jared Schmitthenner of Poway, Dr. Jennifer England (Denver), and Shawn and Scott England of Virginia; a foster grandson, Stephen (Carla) Chase of Chicago; and one great-grandson. Services will be held Wednesday, September 7, at 11:00 a.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church, Mildred, with burial following at the Bella Sylva Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from 10: 00 to 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Friends may call on Tuesday, at the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, on Tuesday, September 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Guthrie Hospice, R.R. #1, Box 154, Towanda, PA, 18848. To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to homerfuneralhome.com To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John William Schmitthenner, please visit our flower store.